Flatbush Man Convicted Of Shooting 13-Year-Old Bystander

FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — A Flatbush man has been convicted of shooting a 13-year-old bystander in the eye while trying to gun down someone else.

Kareem Potomont, 24, faces up to 40 years in connection with the April 2014 shooting, which hit his intended target in the leg, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

"This defendant, who opened fire on a busy street in broad daylight, forever changed the life of an innocent boy who lost an eye," Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "It’s truly a miracle that he survived. The defendant will now spend many years in prison to pay for his abhorrent actions."

Just before noon on Monday, April 14, 2014, Potomont opened fire on a 24-year-old near Flatbush Avenue and Beverley Road, the D.A.'s office said. He hit the man in the leg, but a nearby 13-year-old, who was waiting for the bus with his aunt and cousin, was hit in the right eye by a stray bullet, the office said.

Potomont was caught on video firing the gun and then fleeing the scene, the office said. He was arrested in a basement in Jamaica, Queens.

The teenager lost vision in his right eye and eventually had it removed.

Potomont will be sentenced next month.

Image via Brooklyn District Attorney's Office